Last week I finalized my divorce. I met my now ex-husband at the family court office to sign the final papers and legally consent to agree to no longer being married. It was a sad day.

One of the things I found the most sad was the process. It felt like we were standing in line at any other government office. It felt like we were renewing our passports or drivers license. We took a number. I have to give them credit for being efficient.

Unlike getting married, there was no ritual, there was no ceremony. Just a government clerk behind a desk separated by cubicle type dividers. It’s not that I was expecting anything more elaborate. But I wasn’t expecting to “take a number.”